11:57:34 am on
Tuesday 19 Mar 2024

Trump GOP and Bribery
AJ Robinson

We’ve entered one of those dark Circles of Hell. The impeachment hearings for the Great Orange got underway this week. My hope is that, given the public nature of the proceedings, more and more people will hear the truth regarding the criminal activities, of Trump, and will contribute to his eventual downfall.


Pelosi sees evidence Trump engaged in bribery.

Let me be clear, I do not expect the Senate to convict him or that he’ll resign. I see either of those options as highly unlikely. I’ll make my reasons clear.

Roughly, half the country is already calling for both his impeachment and removal from office and public hearings are just beginning. Many pundits, politicians and reporters are talking of how this is the end for Trump. I don’t agree.

Look at the Nixon investigation and testimony. Nixon had a higher approval rating than does Trump, at this point. It won’t take much to get the polls approving impeachment up to 55%; maybe, even 60% or more. That won’t mean diddlysquat to the republicans in the Senate.

Roughly, ninety per cent Americans want universal background checks for all gun purchases; Congress is yet to act on public demands. Oh, the House has passed gun control legislation, but it languishes on the desk of Moscow Mitch. This is only one of dozens of bills passed by the House that’ll never see the light of day because Moscow Mitch refuses to bring any of them to the floor of the Senate for a vote.

When was the last time anyone spoke of this? Nothing; only– crickets. Just recently, a court order Trump to pay a two million dollar fine for stealing from one of his fake charities; he has to make a matching contribution to real charities. Again, is anyone talking of this?

During the 2016 presidential election, what were the two words every Republican was parroting every moment of every day: “Hillary’s emails.” Why aren’t Democrats doing the same with this story: “Lock Him Up”

Why aren’t we someone, every day, saying how Trump must pay a two million dollar fine for stealing from a charity? Again, we have the Democrats refusing to play hardball when it comes to dealing with this conman.

I’m sorry, but it’s necessary for the Democrats to play hardball, especially given the latest talking points from the minions. Has everyone forgotten how Trump, for days, insisted there was no quid pro quo? What did he call that phone conversation, what was his term? He said it was a perfect call.


He hides the transcript of the perfect call.

This begs the question though. Why hide the transcript for a so-called perfect phone call on an ultra-secure computer server. Then, what does he do? He admits to the quid pro quo, while Republicans continue to insist there wasn’t one. His mouthpiece at the White House told us to “get over it.”

Now there are new excuses. My favourites are, first, Trump is too stupid to have committed a crime. Well, I’ll grant you that he probably is stupid, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to break the law.

Second, Trump commits crimes all the time and therefore we can’t hold him accountable for this one. Wow, now that is a new low. I mean, I thought the whole Affluenza Defense was lame and I’m still shocked, to this day, that it worked.

How do we move forward as a country if the Habitual Offender Disorder becomes the law of the land? What, if a president only commits one crime, we can impeach him, but if he does it daily, oh, we can’t touch him? I know, we can call it the Republican Unlawful Mitigation Programme (RUMP). After all, it’ll only apply to republican presidents, just as everything else they do.

My point in all of this is that it doesn’t matter what the witnesses testify to or what the polls eventually show, the spineless brown-noses, oops, excuse me, the Republicans in the Senate will never vote to remove Trump. For some strange reason, they feel he speaks for the party, read that as their re-election, and his minions will only vote for them if they do as Trump tells them. So, no conviction, no removal from office, which he’ll crow about all during the 2020 election: “Vindicated, I was totally vindicated. Innocent on all charges, it was a witch hunt.”

What worries, most, me is that he might win re-election, as will Moscow Mitch and the others. Yes, I know what the national polls report, but there is no national election and state-by-state polls show the contest close. I know there are many good candidates wanting to take on Trump, Mitch and the others, but they must come out into the light.

I fear it’s not enough. When the polls report roughly a third of the country continues to support Trump; when the Republicans gerrymander districting and suppress the vote; when Russia and other nations are hack America and when you consider voter apathy, there is a good chance Trump will steal the election and his lap dogs in Congress will stay in place.


I’m not worried about the future. I’m terrified.

Veterans’ Day was this past week. It makes me think of my dad. I can’t help but think of how he would be devastated to see that this is what we’ve come to.

I hope I’m wrong. Never in my life have I wanted to be more wrong. We shall see.

Combining the gimlet-eye of Philip Roth with the precisive mind of Lionel Trilling, AJ Robinson writes about what goes bump in the mind, of 21st century adults. Raised in Boston, with summers on Martha's Vineyard, AJ now lives in Florida. Working, again, as an engineeer, after years out of the field due to 2009 recession and slow recovery, Robinson finds time to write. His liberal, note the small "l," sensibilities often lead to bouts of righteous indignation, well focused and true. His teen vampire adventure novel, "Vampire Vendetta," will publish in 2020. Robinson continues to write books, screenplays and teleplays and keeps hoping for that big break.

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